Vertical column vending machine



Aug. 13, 1 935.

H. SrBENJAMIN VERTICAL COLUMN VENDING MACHINE Fild April 14, 1932 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 ll I HP I I e jam Z,

J ATTORNEYS Aug. 13, 1935. H. s. BENJAMIN 2,010,911

VERTICAL COLUMN VENDING MACHINE I Filed April 14, 1952 8 Sheets-Shem; 2

INVENTOR R9. 2; BY I 9 W7? ATTO RN EYS Aug. 13, 1935- H. s. BENJAMIN VERTICAL COLUMN VENDING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 3v Filed April 14, 1932 INVENTOR "Qomm ATTO RN 5Y6 8- 1935- H. SQ'BENJAMIN 2,010,911

VER'IICMJ COLUMN VENDING MACHINE Fil e d April 14, 1932 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORN E! F- VERTICAL COLUMN VENDING MACH INE A'T'TORNEYS M Aug. 13, 1935.

H. S. BENJAMIN VERTICAL COLUMN VENDING MACHINE Filed April -14, 19:52 8 Sheets-Sheetfi ATTORNEYS A 3 H. s. BENJAMIN 2,010,911

VERTICAL COLUMN VENDING MACHINE 7 Filed April 14, 1952 a Sheet s-Sheet v v INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Aug. 13, 19 35.

H. S. BENJAMIN VERTICAL COLUMN VENDING MACHINE Filed April 14, 1932 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 III IIIIIIIII llllll ATTORN EYS Patented Aug. 13, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,010,91 VERTICAL ooLUMn VENDING mourns Harry S. Utica, N. Y. 1 Application April 14, 1932, Serial no: 605,253

39Claims.

3 chandise may be selected, the machine set to vend the particular kind selected, a coin inserted, and the machine then operated to deliver the selected kind.

An object of the present invention is, to provide a machine for the purpose which is arranged to vend a large variety of kinds of merchandise and or brands or sizes and forms of packages, and wherein the construction and arrangement is'such as to facilitate the operations of selecting and vending, and wherein thecoin control mechanism is arranged to return his coin to the customer should all of the compartments be empty. A further object is to provide a display for the merchandise being vended, so that the customer may select at a glance, the kind he desires, such display being independent of the delivery mechanism so as not to be depleted thereby, and whereby selection is facilitated .and the party servicing the -machine is guided in refilling the machine and is assisted in keeping account of the different kinds and quantity of merchandise vended by that machine. A further object is to provide a type of delivery mechanism which is such that any desired depth, width or height of merchandise holding compartments may be employed therewith, to accommodate diflerent sizes or forms of packages, and one or more packages may be delivered at one time, there being aseparate compart ment or magazine for holding the merchandise to be vended at any one vending operation, all

- the merchandise in any one particular compartment or holder being discharged when the goods in that particularholder are selected and the' machine operated.

Further, the quantity of any one particular kind of merchandise in the machine, may be determinedbythe customer at a glance, the machine being provided with a suitable indicator to indicate the number of eachkind of merchandise remaining, in the machine. This indicator also shows the service man the quantity of each kind'of merchandise originally placed in the ma chine, thus assisting him in keeping a record that-he may determine the popular brands and r e-load the machine accordingly.

It is also an' object of the present invention to provide a construction which is such as to require but a minimum of time in making a selection and in operating the machine, thusrnaking it unnecessary for a party to loiter about the machine, and this is particularly of advantage where such machines are placed in industrial plants where they are used principally by the employees of such plants.

With the above and other ends in view, the invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out 'in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which 1 1 Fig. l is a front elevation of a machine illustrativeof an embodiment-of the present invention with the casing of themachine shown in longitudinal section adjacent its front side and with a front plate of said side partly broken away to disclose the interior mechanism, and with portions broken away to shorten the height of the machine and with other parts broken away to disclose the interior mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section substanshown broken away and in section in a plane passing vertically through forward end portions of merchandise chutes or containers and adjacent mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section similar to Fig. 2 3o 7 and taken adjacent the opposite end of the machine;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section substantially upon the linei-i of F18. 1;

Fig. 7 is asection similar to Fig. 6 taken Sub.-

stantially upon the line 1-1 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is a horizontal section substantially upon the line 8-8 of Fig. 2;

-Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the lower part of the machine; Fig. .10 is an enlarged detail of merchandise feed release mechanism;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail of a vertical slide plate of the coin controlled operating mechalower ends to the base 3, which base is extended,

forwardly beyond the two angle bars at the front corners, and a front wall 8 is erected upon this forwardly extending portion of the base at its forward edge and extends upward to only a portion of the height of the main casing, forming a forwardly extending end chamber or extension i which is closed at its upper end by a rearwardly and upwardly inclined display case 8 comprising a window frame 9 provided with a glass panel or window Ill, the lower edge of said frame being secured to and resting upon the upper edge of the short front wall 6 with its upper edge resting against the front frame members 5 and secured to and beneath a front plate or door H hinged to and closing the main upright part of the casing. The window It is therefore in an inclined position so that a party standing in front of the machine may see therethrough readily, into a suitable tray or holder I2 of rectangular form, provided with an edge flange l3 to be engaged beneath the frame 9 to detachably and securely hold this tray in place. As indicated in Fig. 2, this tray is prov vided with suitable markers 14 therein adapted to carry numbers or other indicating marks, each of which indicates .a' particular brand or kind of merchandise with which the machine is loaded and samples of which diiferent kinds or packages shown at M are placed on display alongside these markers within said tray, so that the purchaser may plainly see at a glance, the several different kinds of merchandise on sale by the machine, and he may quickly make his selection by means of the number or marker opposite the sample he has selected as the kind of merchandise he wishes to purchase.

The front door It forming the front upright wall of the casing, asshown in Fig. 2, includes a glass panel i5 which is backed up'and held in place by a thin inside steel plate It formed with a series of vertical rows of holes IT, for a purpose which will presently appear, and as shown in Fig. 3, the holes of each vertical row are connected by a connecting slot l8 having lateral branches opening into said holes. v

. Within the casing and positioned inwardly a short distance from the door I I, is a series of vertical, spaced apart thin sheet metal walls I8 arranged in pairs and secured at-their lower ends walls I9, the casing being ofv a length to accom-.

modate the desired number of vertical columns of chutes, and o! aheight to accommodate any desired number of individual chutes in each column. Each individual chute is adapted to receive and hold the amount of mechandise to be delivered at any one operation of the machine and therefore after the purchaser has selected the chute containing the merchandise he desires and in the manner hereinafter set forth, and has inserted a coin, he will operate the machine and all of the merchandise contained in the particular chute which he has selected, will be discharged. Therefore one or more packages or a quantity of loose merchandise maybe placed in each chute to be delivered according to the selection of the purchaser.

The forward ends of the several chutes 2| are all open. adjacent and opposite the front door I I of the casing, which door is normally held secure- 1y closed by means of suitable locks 22 indicated in Fig. 3, and so that an authorized pe son desiring to service the machine may open this door and refill those chutes which have been emptied.

This service man is aided in such replenishment of the machine in that the kind of. merchandise which was previously in any or all of these chutes is shown by the sample'in the tray l2 and the number or indicating marker I l which refers to that sample and also to the particular chute or chutes in which corresponding merchandise was previously placed there being a marker for each chute in each column of chutes. He can, therefore, by glancing at the sample tray, tell with what to replenish each of the chutes, and by noting the number of empty chutes, he is aided in'making a record of what has been sold and is guided in refilling the machine by noting the kind or kinds of merchandise, most of which have been sold, and may thus refill the machine with those products which have been most popular.

Further, by providing marked samples within plain view of the purchaser, he is enabled to very quickly make his selection and set the machine so that upon the insertion of the proper coin and operation of the delivery handle, the selected merchandise will be quickly delivered to him, thus avoiding all delays and minimizing the number of separate operations as well as mistakes; and the setting of the machine to select the desired product, is quickly accomplished by providing a marker 23 for each chute 2|, said marker being displayed through a hole I! in the plate 15 opposite the upper end of that particular chute, when the chute is loaded, and said marker is withdrawn from view by means hereinafter described, when that chute is empty.

Further, by providing a selector in the form of a pointer 24 which may be moved along each of the vertical slots IS in the plate l6 and which pointers have suitable operative connection with the vending mechanism as hereinafter described to control the release of the merchandise from the particular chute selected, the purchaser may quickly move said pointer to a position opposite the particular marker 23 which corresponds in its markings to the marker H which he has selected as representing the kind of merchandise he wishes to purchase, and thereby control the delivery. from that particular chute opposite which he has positioned said pointer, said marker 23 at the same time telling him by its appearance or non-appearance through its opening,

whether or not that particular chute is empty.

There is a separate pointer 24 for each vertical column of merchandise chutes, as shown there being three of such vertical columns, but it will be understood that any desired number of such columns may be provided in a machine of this character and that each column may embody any desired number of separate chutes 2|, de-

pending upon the size of said chutes and the height of the casing.

To independently move each pointer 24 vertically along its slot i8 to a position opposite the marker 23 indicating the chute 21 containing the desired merchandise, each pointer for each col-' umn, is mounted upon a slide 25 slidablealong a guide rod 26 rigidly mounted upon the supporting frame and extending vertically within the casing adjacent and parallel with said slot; and to move said slide in either direction along said rod, it is connected by a link 21 to a second slide 28 movable along and guided by a guide bar 29 mounted upon the supporting frame in parallel relation to said rod 26, said link having longitudinal sliding connection 39 at one end with said pointer slide, and connected'at its opposite end to the upper end of an arm 3| on the upper endjof slide 28, by a hinge connection 32 having a vertical pivot so that any variation in parallelism between said guides 26 and 29 will not cause either slide to bind upon its-guide. 'A flexible cord, cable or chain 33 is attached at its ends to said slide '28 and passes upwardly and over an idlerpulley 34 suitably mounted on the supporting frame adjacent the upper end of the casing, and thence downward at the other side of the slide, to and around a second idler pulley 35 mounted on said frame near the lower end of the casing, said cable including therein a coiled spring 36 to keep said cable drawn tautand pre- I vent slippage upon said pulleys.

Just prior to reaching the pulley 35, each cable 33 is wound around a pulley or wheel 31 rigidly secured to a rotatable stub shaft 38 mounted for free rotation in suitable bearing means on the supporting frame, each of said stub shafts being provided with a gear or pinion 39', and mounted vertically below and extending longitudinally thereof, is a rotatable operating shaft 40 having a gear 41 secured thereto adapted to be brought into mesh with the gear 39 by an upward swinging movement of said operating shaft, each of said operating shafts being mounted adjacent its inner end in a suitable bearing or carrier frame pivotally attached to the supporting frame for upward and downward swinging Y. movement thereon, and each shaft is extended at its forward end outward loosely through a vertical slot 42 in the front wall 6 of the casing and provided with an operating-knob or handle 43 on said end outside the casing adjacent saidwall and by means of which handle the shaft may be rotated and also moved up or down. I

Each of these shafts 40 also extends through a vertical slot 44 in a supporting plate or bar 45 extending across the frame inwardly of and par-' allel with the wall 6, said plate forming a support for interlocking means to prevent the raising of more than one of said shafts 40 at a time. Therefore but one of said shafts can be raised at any one time to bring its gear 41 into engagement with the gear 39 on the stub shaft 38 above and thus operatively connect said shafts so that by rotating the shaft 48, the stub shaft and its pulley 31 will be rotated to pull the cable 33 longitudinally and move the slide 28, thus moving the slide 25. and its pointer through the operative connection of said slides. This interlocking mechanism thus prevents more than one of the pointers from being operated at the same time, said mechanism comprising a series of plates 46 ofsubstantially trianglar outline, each pivotally supported upon and attached, as at 41, one adjacent each shaft at a short distance laterally of the shaft with its free end overlying said shaft so that when any 40 and pivotally supported upon said support 45 by means of the pivots 41 for two of the swinging plates, are two rocker plates'49, each with-its ends overlying said studs 48 on the adjacent swinging plates, the adjacent ends of said rockers both overlying said stud on the intermediate or center swinging plate which is engaged and operated by the intermediate or center shaft of the three operating shafts 40.

With this arrangement, when the intermediate shaft .40 is raised as shown in Fig. 1, the swinging plate 46 above it, is swung upwardly bringing its stud 48 into contact with the adjacent ends of the two rocker plates 49 and rocking these rockers so that their opposite ends are swung downwardly into contact with the adjacent ends of the two rocker plates 49 and rocking these rockers so that their opposite ends are swung downwardly into contact with the studs 48 on the two end swinging plates, thereby swinging these end plates into down position upon the shafts 48 and holding said shafts thus moved, in down position.

When one of the other or end shafts 40 of the series of three is raised, the other two shafts are locked in a down position in a similar manner by providing a long rocker plate 50 which is pivotally supported intermediate its ends, as at 51 directly above the center shaft with its ends overlapping the studs 48 on the two outer or end swinging plates 46. Therefore when an end shaft 48 of the series is raised, it swings the adjacent plate 46 and through the medium of the stud 48 on said plate, rocks the adjacent rocker.

\ 49, bringing its opposite end down upon the stud 48 of the swinging plate 46 for the intermediate or center shaft, moving said center shaft downward if it is up and holding it in down position.

At the same time, this up movement of the outer or end shaft will rock the long rocker plate 58 through the medium of the stud 46 on the adjacent plate 46 and swing the oppositeend of said plate 50 downwardly into contact with the stud 48 on the swinging plate 46 adjacent the other end shaft 40 of the series, thus moving this shaft downward if it is in up position and in any event, locking it in its down or inoperative downward to disengage its gear 4| from engagement with the gear 39 above, and render the shaft inoperative to change the position of the pointer for the column of chutes, which pointer -is controlled'by that particular shaft.

As a visible indicator to indicate the position of the several shafts 40, an indicator plate 52 is pivoted at 53' adjacent one end to the inner face of the front casing wall 6 to swing across an opening 53 in said wall, adjacent each shaft,

, each of said plates bearing the words up and down to be displayed through said openings, each of said shafts being passed through an opening in the swinging end of each of said plates so that when any one of said shafts is swung to an up position, the corresponding indicator plate will be swung to an up position and the word up thereon will appear through the opening ing means and thus hold the gear M in mesh with the gear 39 while the shaft is being turned or other operations performed. Also so' that the manipulator of the machine may not move any one of the shafts up and immediately down againfshould he change his mind as to the selection he has made or in an attempt to make the machine deliver from two of the chutes at the same time, and thus, by reason of such lost motion, be enabled to keep on moving these shafts, causing wear and possible breakage.

Each shaft 40 is mounted in a swinging carrier comprising a pair of swinging carrier plates 64 to guide and carry each shaft to which extends throughi-openings in the swinging ends of these plates, said plates of each pair being rigidly connected to move together, by means of a cross brace 55, and thus form a carrier bearing frame for each shaft, said plates being piv-- otally supported at their opposite ends by pivots 56 upon cross members 51 of the supporting frame to swing up and down when the shaft is moved up or down by the operator grasping the handle or knob 43 on the outer end of the shaft. This pair of connected carrier plates being spaced apart and swinging together, thus forms a swinging carrier frame for the shaft to hold it against tilting longitudinally during such swinging movement about the pivots 56, so that the gear 4! will be directed into proper engagement with the gear 39 above, whenever the shaft is moved upwardly.

The means before referred to for locking each shaft in up position, consists of a dog 58, each pivotally attached at 59 to each of those swinging carrier plates 54 which swing adjacent the forward face of the forward frame member 61 upon which they are pivotally supported, each pivot 59 being directly above the shaft 40 and adjacent the upper edge or comer of each plate 54 and each dog'beirig offset laterally from its pivot and notched as at 60 to provide for the shaft 40 so that each dog will be free to swing on its pivot, toward the shaft to bring its lower end directly beneath said shaft and over and upon a pin or stud 6| projecting laterally from the frame member 51 when one of said operating shafts 40 is moved upwardly, such swinging of said dog toward said shaft being accelerated by a light coil spring 62 attached at one end 'to a pin 63 on the dog near its lower end, and attached at its opposite end to the swinging plate 64 to which the dog is pivotally attached.

Therefore when any one of the operating shafts 40 is raised or swung upwardly to the limit of its movement, at the same time swinging upwardly the carrier plate 54 in which it is mounted and also carrying the dog 56 upwardly, said dog will be swung toward the shaft by its spring and its lower end will snap over the stud 6| to rest thereon and positively prevent said shaft from I being lowered until said dog is released from Each stud 48 which projects laterally from each of the swinging. plates 46 toward the dog 58 on the adjacent carrier plate 54 for said shaft, has a reduced end portion 64 to engage within a notch in one side of said dog adjacent its pivotal support and this notch provides a cam portion 65 to be engaged by said end 64 when the swinging plate 46 carrying said stud 48 is swung downwardly independently of the carrier plates 54 in which the shaft 60 which is in up position is mounted, the very first portion of such downward movement of said swinging plate 46, bringing this end portion 6 3 into contact with said cam 66, and swinging said dog on its pivot from over the stud ti and thus unlocking the raised shaft so that it may be lowered.

To thus swing the swinging plate 46 which is adjacent the raised shaft and unlock said shaft, it is only necessary to move one of the other shafts which are in down position upwardly, and

. such upward movement of this other shaft will,

can be moved to operative position at a time and when so moved, is locked in that position so that it can not be again moved downwardly until after the machine has been operated to deliver merchandise or until one of the other shafts has been raised to effect a release of the look, all of the other shafts being held-inoperative to effect a change in the position of their pointers, by the locking of the first shaft raised.

, It has been stated that the position of the pointer 24 opposite a certain marker 23 indicating a particular merchandise chute 2| of one of the vertical columns of chutes, controls the delivery of the merchandise contained in that chute, and to understand how this control is effected, adescription of the delivery mechanism is now in order.

It will be remembered that the several chutes of each column are inclined in the direction of their length, or downwardly toward the rear of the casing, and therefore, merchandise placed in. these chutes will gravitate toward their lower ends and if one of these ends is opened, the contents will slide out into a delivery chute 66 located adjacent the rear wall of the casing, there being one such chute opposite the rear ends of the small or individual chutes 2| of each column, and each of these main delivery chutes is curved adjacent the base of the casing and continued forwardly to the front wall 6 where they open therethrough to deliver the merchandise to the purchaser.

To close thelower rear end of each of the individual chutes 2| and ,hold the merchandise against escape therefrom until released by the operation of the machine, a door 61 is hinged or pivotally attached to the side walls IQ of the column by means of side arms 68 integral with the side edges of each door and extending upwardly upper edge, is assisted in its closing movement,

by gravity and each is accurately guided in such closing movement by its side arms engaging the outer surface of the side wallsof the chute.

Further, as each door swings at its lower edge, toward and from the chute, v.the merchandise is unhindered in its escape when the door is released, and should any door remain partly open, the merchandise discharged from chutes above, will hit such partially open door and close it without danger of clogging the main chute.

To hold each door in closed position and thus hold the merchandise in the chute, one of said arms 68 of each door is formed withan outstanding lug 69 to be engaged by a, latch 10 pivoted intermediate its ends, as at H to the side wall I 9 of said chute with said pivots ll passing through vertical slots 12 in a vertically movable bar 13 held in place by said pivots. Attached to said wall l9 betweensaid bar 13 and wall, is a series of horizontally reciprocable slide bars'lfl, one for each chute 2|, and each of these slides is provided with an end lug 15 adapted to be brought into engagement with a projection on an adjacent door when said slide is moved longitudinally, and kick the door open, after it has been released by the swinging of its latch 18 out of engagement therewith.

To so swing said latch, as'clearly illustrated in Fig. 10, a latch plate 16 is pivoted intermediate its ends to the said side wall of the chute with its lower edge directly above and in opposed relation to the upper edge of one of the bars M with which it is arranged to co-operate. This latch plate is operatively connected at one side of its pivot, with the tail end of the latch III for the door of that particular chute, by means of a pin 11 on the plate engaging a slot in the tail of the latch so that when said latch plate is swung on its pivot by a shoulder 18 thereon coming into engagement with a projection 18 upon the upper edge of the bar 14, upon longitudinal movement of said bar, said latch 10 will be swung on its pivot and release the door, the initial moveinentof said bar toward the door, first operating to release the latch, and continued movement, bringing its end lug 15 into engagement with the door to kick it open.

When the latch plate is in normal position with its latch 10 engaging and holding the adjacent door and the adjacent slide 14 is in mid position of its stroke, the lowered end portion of said plate is. arranged to lie between the projection 19 on the slide, and an upwardly extended end portion 80 on said s ide, said portion 80 being formed with a notch 8| in its side to receive the extreme end of said plate and hold said plate in down position with said latch 18 engaged with-the door, so that by jarring the machine or trying to operate it without placing a coin therein, the latch will not be accidentally disengaged from the door and release the contents of the chute controlled thereby. In order that the latch plate may be disengaged from this notch 8| in the regular operation of the machine, the length of its lower edge between its end engaged within said notch and said shoulder 18, is slightly less than the distance from said notch to the shoulder 19, and therefore the very first movement of the slide toward the doorwill disengage the end of said plate from saidnotch and permit said plate to be swung upwardly by the engagement of the shoulder 19 with the plate, immedately thereafter. Further, the engagement of the lower edge of the latch platebetween theprojections l9 and 8B on'the slide bar, holds said bar in substantially mid position.

It will be noted also that each of the slide bars 14 is formed with a notch 82 in its upper edge adjacent the projection 19, this notch being adapted to receive the forwardly extending end or arm 83 of the latch plate 16 when said bar has been moved to the extreme forward endof its movement and after said latch plate has been turned to release its latch from engagement with the door. Each slide bar 14 so moved is therefore locked at the forward I end of its stroke, by said latch plate, for a purpose which will hereinafter more fully appear, and to prevent each 'vertical slide bar '13 from sliding downward except when all of said horizontal slides 14 are at such extreme forward end of their stroke,

' each of said bars 13 is formed-with an L-shaped slot '84 opposite each upward extension 80 of the adjacent horizontal bar each of which extensions is provided with a laterally extending lug 85 projeoting into said slot, the horizontal portion of each slot being of a length equal to the stroke of the horizontal bar and the vertical portion of each L-slot being located at the forward end of the horizontal portion so that when the horizontal bars are at the forward ends of their stroke, said lugs 85 will be in alignment with said vertical portions of said slots and in position to pass into said vertical portions when the vertical bars are dropped downward for a purpose hereinafter set forth. 1

As also clearly illustrated in Fig. 10, each of the several'markers 23 for each of the chutes 2| in each vertical column of chutes, is connected to the forward end 83 of each corresponding latch plate 16, by means of a bar or link 86 pivotally attached at one end to said plate and at its opposite end to the pivot arm 81 carrying each marker, and each of which arms is pivotally attached at one end to the adjacent side wall IQ of one of the vertical columns of chutes to swing downwardly from a position to display said markers through the holes I! in the backing the casing. Therefore, when the parts for controlling the discharge from any one of the chutes 2| are in normal position with the chute charged or filled and the latch plate 16 swung downward to hold the latch 18' engaged with the door, said marker for that particular chute will be held in display position by said latch plate, to indicate that that chute is full, and when said latch and latch plate are operated to release the door, the marker. for that chute will be swung downward out of display position and the operator will know that that particular chute is empty, and he will not set the pointer 24 opposite that opening;

As previously pointed out, the purchaser first selects the chute containing the merchandise he desires and then'moves the pointer 24 to position opposite the marker 23 for that chute, by lifting the knob 43 and then turning it to run the pointer up or down along the slot l8.

In so moving said pointer, the slide 28 is moved with it an equal distance up or down along its g-uide bar 29, and secured to one side of this slide, is a cam block 88 arranged to pass between a pair of laterally extending spaced apart pins ll on each of the slide bars 14. When said bars are all in mid-stroke with the chutes 2| all loaded and their doors 6'! all held by the latches T9 and the latch plates'lli turned downwardly and holding the several latches in locked position, the pins 89 of each pair will be in vertical alignment with the corresponding pins on the slide bars above, as shown in Fig. 2, and therefore said cam block. may be moved freely up and down,

of the several pairs, and in this position of the several slide bars 14, they are held against l0ngitudinal movement by the engagement of the several latch plates-I6 therewith.

It will be noted that when the pointer 24 is positioned exactly opposite a marker 23 for a certain chute, said cam block 88 will be positioned directly between the two pins 89 on the slide bar I4 opposite that particular chute, and to move this slide bar, and through such movement, operate the latch mechanism to unlatch and open the door of that chute, the guide bar 29, and consequently the slide 28 and its cam block 98, is moved laterally in a manner presently to be described. I

To provide for a lateral or swinging movement ofeach vertical guide bar 29 in a direction longitudinally of the several horizontally reciprocable slide bars I4, each of said guide bars 29 is secured at its upper end to a down-turned end portion of a pivotal carrying bar or strap 90 (see Fig. 4), said strap being pivotally attached at the end of its horizontal portion, by a pivot 9I, to a supporting strap extending across the upper end of each column of chutes and secured to the upper ends of the side walls I9 thereof. Eachupper pulley or idler 34 over which each cable 33 is trained, is attached to the said downturned end portion of the said strap 90 adjacent the upper end of each bar 29 which carries the slide 28 having said cam block 88, so that as strap 90 swings on its pivotal support, it will swing said bar 29 and move said slide and its cam block in a direction longitudinally of the several slide bars I4. The lower end of each guide bar 29 is secured to the downturned end portion of a somewhat similar pivoted carrying member or strap 92, which member is pivotally supported at its end by a pivot similar to the pivot 9I'passing through a depending yoke secured at its ends to the parallel frame members 20, said pivots 9I being in vertical axial alignment, so that said guide bar will be held in vertical position to swing about the axis of said pivots 9I, and each of the lower idlers 35 is carried by the extreme lower end of said downturned end portion of said lower carrying strap 92. Each of these lower pivoted carrying straps or members 92, however, differs from the upper carrying members 90 in that each is formed with an integral arm 93 extending directly forward toward the front of the casing from its pivoted end, and each is also formed with a lug '94 adjacent its pivoted end and extending rearwardly of the casing therefrom in a direction opposite to that in which its arm 93 extends.

To impart swinging 'motion to each vertical guide bar 29 and through the engagement of said cam block 88 with the pins 89 upon a certain horizontal slide I4between which pins said block has been selectively positioned, and impart horizontal movement to said slide and thus unlatch and kick open the door of the chute corresponding to that particulaar slide, a longitudinally movable horizontal slide bar 96 is attached by pins 91 passing through longitudinal slots in said bar, to a horizontal tie member extending across the supporting frame some distance below the lower ends of the several columns of chutes, said slide bar 96 being of a length to extend across the lower ends of the several columns and beyond the same at one end. Pivotally attached, as at 98 to said slide bar 96, is a plurality of dogs 99, one adjacent and above each of the three rear swinging carrier plates 54, each of said dogs being'connected sliding movement.

intermediate its ends, by ,a pivoted link I00 to the said carrier plate below. When one of these carrier plates 54 is swung upwardly by the raising of the shaft 40 carried thereby, as previously described, the corresponding dog '99 above said carrier plate, will also be swung upwardly, as shown in Fig. 4, bringing the free end of said dog opposite the lug 94 on the pivoted carrying member 92 above, so that upon longitudinal movement of said long horizontal bar 96 in one direction, the free end of said dog will be brought into contact with said lug 94 and will swing the pivoted carrier 92 in a direction to move the particular slide I4 toward the back of the machine and in so doing, operate its latch plate I6 and latch I0 to release the door of that particular chute.

The horizontal bar 96 is moved longitudinally by power applied by the operator to a delivery shaft IOI extending at its forward end through the front wall 6 of the casing and provided on its outer end with an operating handle I02, this shaft being controlled in its turning movement by coin operated control and other mechanism, hereinafter described, and said coin control mechanism being substantially the same as that shown and described in my application, Serial No. 436,982, filed March 19, 1930, for Vending machine, and including a plate I03 (Fig. 11) suitably mounted adjacent the rear wall of the casing for vertical Mounted at its rear end in a bearing on said casing rear wall adjacent one side of said plate, is a shaft having a power transmittirg sleeve I04 mounted thereon, said sleeve having an integral ratchet wheel I05 at its rear end and a notched cam wheel I06 on its forward end adjacent and above the projecting end of the sl'de bar 96. Adjacent said ratchet I05 is an arm free to turn relative to said sleeve and carrying a pawl I01 to engage and turn said ratchet, the pivot pin of said pawl upon said arm, passing through a slot I08 in said plate, whereby upon downward movement of said plate, said pawl will be carried by the turning of its arm, into engagement with the next notch of the ratchet, and upon upward movement of said plate, said pawl will engage a notch and turn the ratchet and sleeve a quarter turn. A spring I09 exerts a force to move the said plate I03 downwardly and a cam IIO on the delivery shaft IOI adjacent said plate I03 is arranged to engage pins III on said plate, one of said pins acting to hold said plate in raised position as shown in Fig. 11, and the other pin being arranged to extend within the path of said cam when the plate is lowered, and cause the plate to be positively raised by the turning of said cam.

Pivotally attached intermediate its ends, as at I I2 to a fixed support or bearing member for the forward end of the shaft upon which the sleeve I04 carrying the cam wheel I06 is mounted, is a rocker II3 carrying a pin H4 at one end to engage the cam notches of the cam wheel I06. The opposite or lower end of this rocker H3 is adapted to engage a pin II5 (see Fig. 4) projecting laerally from the projecting end of the slide plate 96 and therefore the turning of the cam wheel I06 as described, will rock the rocker 'I I3 and bring its lower end into contact with the pm I IS on the slide 96 and thus move said slide plate in one direction, (it being normally moved in an opposite direction by a suitable spring), or in a direction to swing, through the engagement of its raised dog 99 with the adjacent swinging carrier member 92, the corresponding guide bar 29 and its slide 28 and cam block 88. in a direction Cal :rectly between the two pins 89 upon the slide bar- 14 for the selected chute. I

Should the operator stop the selector mechanism with said cam block 88 midwaybetween any two adjacent slides 14, means is provided for preventing him from operating the delivery shaft IOI, said means comprising along slide plate H5 attached for free longitudinal sliding movement to the rear face of a cross member H1 of the frame by means of stud bolts I I1, passing through slots in the plate, said plate being located directly beneath the tray I2 at the forward side of the machine and positioned substantially in the vertical plane of the threeswinging carrier plates 54 at the forward side of the swinging carriers for the shafts 40. Pivotally attached at one end, as at H8, to said slide plate H6, are three swinging stop members H9, eaoh'of which is pivotally connected intermediate its ends, to the swinging carrier plate 54 below, by a link I20 so that when one of the shafts 40 is raised, thus swinging the carrier plate 54 upwardly, the stop member H9 connected thereto by said link I20, will also be swung upwardly, bringing a beveled upper end corner thereof into contact with a stud or reduced end I2I on the forwardly ex-v tending arm 93 of the pivoted carrier bar 92, and as this bar, at this time, is prevented from swinging in one direction by the engagement of one or more of the said dogs 99 with one or more of the projections 94 on said carriers 92, said beveled end of said stop member I I9 coming into contact with said stud I2I which is prevented from swinging away from said member by the engagement of said dog with that carrier, will move said slide plate against the action of a coiled spring I22 and bring the lower end of a stop arm I23 pivotally attached at its upper end as at I24, to the projecting end of said slide plate, into the path of a projecting shoulder I25 on adisk secured to the delivery shaft IOI. loosely held in position to engage said shoulder, by said arm resting by gravity against a stop pin I26 on a fixed member of the frame.

Therefore if the cam block 88 should be positioned midway between adjacent slide bars 14 as described and thus permitted to move laterally, such movement will be prevented by the swinging of one of the stop members H9 by the raising of one of the shafts 40, and such swinging ofsaid member will move the long slideplate H6 and bring its stop arm I23 into the path of the projection or shoulder I25 on the delivery shaft I0 I, thus locking said shaft against suflicient rotation to effect the delivery of merchandise, and not being able to tumsaid shaft, the

purchasers attention will be called to the posi tion of the pointer, when he may change it to proper position.

- To yieldingly hold each pivoted carrier bar 92 with its guide bar 29 and block 88 normally turned or urged toward turning in one direction,

each bar 92 as shown in Fig. '7, has a coiled spring 92' attached thereto so that; if free to I I6 longitudinally This stop'arm I23 isdo so, as described, said block 88 with its bar 29 and carrier 92 will swing laterally after passing between the pins 89 on one bar 14 and before coming between said pins on the adjacent bar, and ,thus the delivery shaft will be locked by such swinging movement unless the pointer is properly positioned.

As previously described, the customer is prevented 'by the interlocking rocker plates 49, 49 and 50, from raising more than one of the knobs 43 at a time, but such interlocking mechanism does not prevent him from moving first one and then anotherof these knobs, even after he has set the machine and started to turnthe delivery handle I02, and to prevent such-manipulation which would cause wear and might lead to breakage of the parts, a long locking slide I21 is mounted upon the forward face of oneof the frame members I20 which afford a bearing for the forward ends of the stub shafts 38 upon which stub shafts pulleys 31 and gears 39 are mounted.

This slide I21 has a free limited longitudinal movement by being formed with slots through which stud bolts I29 extend into said frame member I28, and rigidly secured to this slide are three dependin arms I30, one for each of the three swinging carrier plates 54, each arm being provided with a laterally turned lower end or foot I3I to en age above or below a laterally projezting pin I32 or other heavy rigid member I64 shown in Fig. 15, on each of the carrier plates 54 when mid slide I21 is moved longitudinally by means of a cam I33 secured upon the delivery shaft IOI to rotate therewith and arranged to engage a downwardly extending arm or end portion at one end of said slide which may be providcdwith a roller I34 to be engaged by said cam.

The slide'is normally held moved toward said cam by a spring I35.

When the delivery shaft IOI is rotated, its cam I33 will move the locking slide I21 longitudinally and bring the feet I 3I above or below the pins I32 on the swinging members 54 and into the path of movement of said pins when the members 54 are swung by raising or lowering the knobs 43. If any one of the members 54 has been swung up, prior to the rotation of the delivery shaft IOI', it will thus be locked againstsWinging downwardly, and those members 54 which are in down position will be locked in that posiion immediately upon rotation of said shaft IOI. Therefore the several knobs 43 are locked against up and down movement as soon as the delivery shaft is turned after setting any one of said knobs in operating the machine, and these knobs will all be at once released upon further turning of the shaft IN to bring the low side of its cam I33 into contact with the roller I34, when the spring I35 will move the locking slide and move the feet I 3| out of the path of the pins I32. i

It is also most desirable that thecustomer'be prevented from changing the position of the po'nter- 24 after he has started turning the de-,

livery shaft I0 I and to prevent this, a clutch disk I33 (see Fig. 12) is splined upon each stub shaft nection with the stub shaft 38 by a bell-crank lever I38, the tail end I38 of each of which bellcranks engages a notch in the upper edge of the locking slide I21, so that as soon as said'sllde is moved endwise by the turning of the delivery shaft IIlI as previously described, all of said clutches I38will be disengaged from their gears 39 and the driving connection between the gears 39and their stub shafts 38 will be broken so that turning movement of any one of the shafts 40 which has been swung upwardly to bring its gear 4| into mesh with the gear 39, will not be effective to rotate any one of the pulleys 31 and run the pointer 24 up or down. Therefore the selection must be made and the pointer properly set before the delivery shaft IIlI is turned.

Preferably the said notches in the upper edge of the locking slide I21 are of slightly greater length than the width of the tail I38 of each bellcrank, and attached at one end to each tail I38 and at its opposite end, to the slide I21, is a spring I38" to provide a yielding swinging of each bellcrank, so that should the pins I31 on any one of the gears 39 fail to enter the openings in the adjacent disk I36 when the slide is first moved, the spring on that bell crank will yield, permitting further turning of the gear 39 and causing its pins to snap into said openings when they .come into alignment therewith.

As soon as the merchandise has been discharged from any chute 2|, as previously described, and the parts of the delivery mechanism have been returned to normal position, the pivoted carrying bar 92 for that column of chutes, will be free to swing and will be swung forwardly by its spring 92' (see Fig. 7) and as. the cam block 88 is still positioned between the pins 89 of the slide 14 which has just been operated to discharge merchandise, said slide 14 will be moved by such swinging movement, to the extreme forward end of its stroke and the latch plate 16 thereof whicn has been released by such operation of the discharge mechanism,- will swing downward, engaging the forward end of its arm 83 in the notch therefor in the upper edge of said slide and looking said slide in retracted or forward position with the marker 23 lowered and out of sight through the opening I1. The moving of each slide bar 14 in this manner to the limit'of its forward stroke, brings the lug 85 on said bar into alignment with the vertical portion of its L-slot in the vertical column bar 13 and therefore when all of the chutes of the column have been emptied, this column locking bar 13 will be free to drop, bringing the lugs 85 on the several horizontal slides 14 into the vertical portions of said L-slots and thus locking all of the slides of the column, against movement.

However no one of these column locking bars 13 is permitted to drop until all of the chutes in all of the columns have been discharged, because a supporting bail I39 is pivotally attached intermediate its ends as at I40 to the supporting frame with the connecting .portion of said ball directly beneath the lower ends of and in supporting relation to each of the bars 13 for the several columns. Therefore these lockingslide bars 13 can not function until all of the horizontal slides 14 are in fully retracted position with the lug 85 on each and every slide, in alignment withthe vertical portion of its L-slot and the bail I39 is operated or swung downwardly, permitting theseveral bars 13 to descend, and to hold said bail against turning until such time as all of said column locking bars 13 have been so released and the weight of all of said bars comes upon the bail, a coiled spring I4I (Fig. 10) is attached to said ball intermediate its pivot I40 and its end beneath said bars 13, said spring being of just sufiicient strength so that it will be just overcome by the combined weight of all of the bars 13 coming upon the bail, and therefore none of the locking bars 13 will move to locking position until all of these bars are released by the emptying of all of the chutes of the several columns and the machine is entirel empty. 1

To transmit motion from the bail I39 when it is rocked by the dropping of the several locking bars 13 when all of the chutes are emptied, as described, a lever or rocker I42 which is pivotally supported at I43 on the frame, has a pin or lug I44 at one end resting upon an end of the bail I39 opposite that which engages said bars 13, and this lever is extended at its opposite end to engage a control rocker I45 adapted to release suitable coin deflecting mechanism, so that when all of the chutes are emptied, all coins inserted in the machine will be returned to the operator.

This coin deflecting or return mechanism as shown, is substantially the same as similar mechanism shown in my pending application, Serial No. 436,982, hereinbefore mentioned and which includes a main coin chute I 46 leading from an opening in the front wall of the casing to suit--.

able coin detecting mechanism indicated as a whole by thenumeral I41, and beyond which is a chute I49 leading to the coin box. Adjacent one side of this chute I48, is a swinging coin defiector I49 adapted to be projected by a swinging movement, across said chute to intercept all coins passing down this chute and deflect them into a coin return chute I50 leading to the merchandise delivery receptacle at the lower end of the casing. Suitable latch mechanism for controlling the operation of said deflector I43 includes a lever I5I carrying said deflector and a dog I52 is provided to detachably hold said lever in operative position, said dog being normally held in engagement with said lever by a spring I52 and said dog being adapted to be moved by the rocking of said rocker I45 to release said dog from said lever I5I and permit said deflector I49 to be. projected across the chute by means of a spring I53.

The merchandise delivery mechanism is controlled in its operation by suitable coin controlled mechanism'oi any suitable form and construction, the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings being substantially the same asmechanism for the same purpose shown and described in my before mentioned application, Serial No.

486,982, the same being merely illustrative of coin control means suitable for the purpose, it including the vertically slidable actuating plate I03 before mentioned.

To control the downward movement of this actuating plate so that if other than a good coin be inserted the plate will be stopped to prevent the delivery of merchandise, the upper end of said plate is provided with a laterally extending lug I54 to engage a stop member I55 pivotally supported'to be swung into and-out of the path of said lug I54 by means of a bar I56, the lower end of which bar is pivotally attached to the free end of a swinging arm I51 pivotally supported upon the lower end of the coin chute I48 outside said chute and arranged to engage and detachably hold a stop arm I58 having a laterally bent end portion adapted to be projected through a side opening in said chute across the path of coins passing down said chute, when said arm I! is released by said arm I51 and said am I58 is turned by means of a spring which tends to swing the upper end of said arm toward the chute. To swing said arm I58 against the action of said spring and bring it into latched or normal position and retractedfrom across said chute, a semi-circular flange is provided upon a circular head I59 on the shaft llil to engage the lower end of said arm i58 when said shaft and head I59 are rotated.

To release the arm 95'! from engagement with the'stop arm I58, a trip plate IE0 is pivotally supported at one end intermediate the ends of the bar i515 to extendtransversely of said bar loosely between a pair of pins ifii on said bar, and the free end of this trip extends through an opening in the side of the chute M8 across the path of coins passing down said chute. When a coin passing down saidchute strikes the free end of this trip plate, saidplate is swung downwardly thereby into engagement with the pin Hi therebeneath with suflicient force to move-said bar i56 downwardly against the action of a coiled spring I62 attached to said bar and which is of just suillcient strength to balance the weight of said bar and attached parts, and unlatch the arm I51 from engagement with the coin stop arm I58 which will then be immediately swung by its spring and projected across the path of a coin coming down the chute, where it will be supported and held by this stop until suchv time as it be released by the withdrawal of said stop, and when so released, the coin will pass on down the chute.

wise movement through an opening in the chute into engagement with the slug or coin while it is supported by the stop arm I58. This plunger I53 has a sharpened end to engage the coin or slug and if it be a washer or a thin metal disk, said plunger will be projected farther than would be permitted by a good coin and this excess movement will be sufllcient to effect a locking of the delivery shaft llii, thereby preventing the full.

downward movement of the plate I 03, as fully set forth in my said pending application, and the actuation of the shaft 104 and its cam Hi8 to effeet the release of the merchandise.

To re-load the machine, the service man will first open the front door ll of the casing and will then rock the lever H2 in a'direction to rock the bail I39 and lift all of the locking bars 13. He will at the same time manually throw all of the rocker arms 81 of the markers 23 which are in down position, upwardly and this will latch the doors 81 closed, and lockall oi the doors closed. He may then fill those chutes II which are empty and the machine will be again in condition for operation. v

It is obvious that the capacity of the machine may be increased by adding chutes to the several columns or by increasing the number of columns. It isalso obvious that, any suitable coin control and coin detecting mechanisms may be employed and that other changes may be made in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the present invention and such changes are contemplated.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a vending machine, a series of separate merchandise receptacles, means for holding merchandise in and releasing the same from each receptacle, coin controlled means for controlling the operation of said holding and releasing means to effect the discharge of merchandise from one of said receptacles at a time, and selector means having operative connection with said holding means and adjustable to position opposite any one of said receptacles of said series for controlling the discharge from the receptacle selected.

2. In a vending machine, a casing, a plurality of separate chutes in said casing each adapted to hold merchandise to be discharged therefrom by gravity, means for holding merchandise in said chutes and releasing the same, coin controlled means for controlling the operation of said holding and releasing means to permit the discharge by gravity from one of said chutes at a time, of all merchandise therein, and selector means movable within said casing and adjustable to position opposite any one of. said chutes to control the release of said holding means for the particular chute selected. k

3. In a vending machine, a plurality of sep-. arate chutes, each adapted to hold aquantity of merchandise to be discharged therefrom upon a single operation of the machine, discharge means for each chute, selector means movable along said series of chutes to a p'osition'opposite any one of said chutes, for operating said discharge means of the chute selected, said selector means being in operative connection with said discharge means and coin controlled means for controlling the operation of said discharge means. 4. In a vending machine, a casing, a plurality of separate chutes in said casing arranged in a vertical column, means for releasing merchandise from each of said chutes. selector means within said casing and movable along said column throughout its length to position opposite any one of said chutes to control the operation of said means for releasing merchandise from the chute selected and to indicate said selected chute, and coin controlled means for controlling the operation of said merchandise releasing means.

5. In a vending machine, a plurality of inclined chutes arranged in a vertical column, a closure for the lower end of each chute, means for locking each closure in closed position and releasing the same to permit the discharge by gravity of merchandise contained in each chute,'and coin controlled meansfor controlling the operation of said locking means.

6. In a vending machine, a plurality of inclined chutes arranged in a vertical column, a closure for the lower end of each chute, means for looking each closure in closed position and releasing the same to permit the discharge by gravity of merchandise contained in each chute, means for operating said locking means including selector mechanism movable along said column in connection therewith for selecting the particular chute from which merchandise is to be discharged, and coin controlled mechanism for controlling the release of merchandise from the chute V selected.

7. In a vending machine, a plurality of. merchandise receptacles arranged in a vertical col-. umn, means for discharging merchandise from each of said receptacles, selector mechanism includingindicating means movable along said column to indicate the receptacle selected and having operative connection with said discharging means when moved into position opposite the selected receptacles, and coin controlled mechanism for controlling the operation of said discharging means.

8. In a vending machine, a plurality of merchandise receptacles arranged in a vertical col umn, a closure for each of said receptacles, holding means for each of said closures, selector mechanism including a member movable along said column into and out of operative connection with said holding means for each closure, and coin controlled means for actuating .said selector mechanism to operate said holding means for each closure and release said holding means for the closure of the receptacle selected.

9. In a vending machine, the combination of a plurality of merchandise receptacles arranged in a series, a closure for each receptacle, latching means for holding each closure closed and for releasing the same, a selector member movable along said series of receptacles into and out of operative connection with said latching means for each closure, and means for operating said latching means into operative connection with which said member has been brought, selectively.

' 10. In a vending machine, the combination of a plurality of merchandise receptacles arranged in a vertical column, a closure for each recep- 1 tacle, means for holding each closure in closed position and releasing the same, a selector member movable along said column into and out of operative connection with said holding means for each closure, and coin controlled means for operating said holding means for each closure.

11. In a vending machine, a plurality of inclined chutes forming merchandise receptacles and arranged in a vertical column, a closure for the lower end of each chute, means for holding each closure in closed position and releasing the same to permit merchandise to escape by gravity from said chute, coin controlled operating means for operating said holding means for each closure, said operating means including a member movable to effect an operative connection between said operating means and said holding means for any one of said closures, and selector means movable along said column to select a particular chute and offset an operative connection between said operating means and said holdsaidholding means into operative connection with which said member has been moved.

13. In a vending machine, a plurality of inclined chutes forming merchandise receptacles and arranged in a vertical column, a closure for the lower end of each chute, latching means for holding each closure in closed positlonand releasing the same, coin controlled means for operating said latching means for each closure to release the same, said operating means including a member movable along said column and adapted to provide an operative connection between said operating means and said latching means for each of said closures, and an indicator movable with said member to indicate the particular chute from which an article is to be delivered.

14. In a vending machine, the combination of a casing, a plurality of separate merchandise receptacles in said casing, means for holding merchandise in each of said receptacles and releasing the same, means for operating said holding means for each of said receptacles, selector means movable into operative connection with said operating means for said holding means of any one of said receptacles, a markerfor each receptacle operatively connected to said means for operating said holding means to be'withdrawn 'from display position upon release of said holding means of the receptacle selected, and means operable exteriorly of said casing for setting said selector means.

15. In a vending machine, a casing, a plurality of merchandise receptacles in said casing ar ranged in a vertical column, means for discharging merchandise from each of said receptacles, selector mechanism including a member movable along said column to make operative connection with said discharging means for any one of said receptacles, a marker for each receptacle operatively connected to said discharging means for each receptacle to be moved thereby into and -out of display position by the operation of said discharging means, and a pointer movable with said member of said selector mechanism.

16. In a vending machine, the combination'of a casing including a front wall having a glass window with a thin metal plate forming a backing for said window, said plate being provided with a vertical series of openings, 9. pluralityrcf receptacles in said casing arranged in a vertical column, said openings in said backing plate corresponding in number to the number of said receptacles, a closure for each receptacle, means for holding each of said closures closed and for releasing the same, a marker for each receptacle having operative connection with each of said holding and releasing means to be moved thereby into and out of sight through each of said openings in said backing plate to indicate full or empty condition'of said receptacles, and means operable from the exterior of said casing for operating said holding and releasing means for said closures.

17. In a vending machine, the combination of a casing including a front wall provided with a series of openings connected by a connecting slot, a plurality of receptacles in said casing arranged in a vertical column, said openings in said casing wall corresponding in number to the number of a plurality of merchandise receptacles, a door for closing eachof said receptacles, latching means for holding each door closed and for releasingoperable delivery shaft, means for transmitting motion from said delivery shaft to move said selective means and operate said latching means, limiting mmns for limiting the turning movement of said delivery shaft, and means operated by said selective means to operate said limiting means and limit the turning movement of said shaft when said member of said selective means is positioned out of operative connection with said latching means.

28. In a vending machine, the combination of a plurality of merchandise receptacles arranged in a vertical column, adoor for closing each of said receptacles, means for holding and releasing each door including a horizontally reciprocable member, selective means including a member movable longitudinally ofsaid column into and out of operative connection with each of said horizontally reciprocable members of said several holding means, a manually operable delivery shaft, and means for transmitting motion from said shaft to move said selective means and through the said operative connection of said member of said selective means withone of said horizontally reciprocable members of said holdlng means, effect a release of one of said doors, said motion transmitting means including a motion transmitting member operatively connected with said selective means to be' operated thereby to efiect the transmission of tion transmitting means.

29. In a vending machine, the combination of a plurality of merchandise receptacles arrangedin a vertical column; a door to close. each receptacle; holding and releasing means for each door including a horizontally reciprocable slide bar; selective means including a guide her extending longitudinally of said column transversely of said slide bars, a member movable along said guide bar into and out of operative con- 'nection with said slide bars, means for manually moving said member along said guide bar; means for moving said guidebar in a direction longitudinally of said slide bars to move the same and release said doors; a delivery shaft; and means for transmitting motion from said shaft to operate said means for moving said guide her, said means for transmitting motion including a member operativelyconnected to said selective means to be operated thereby to make said motion transmitting means effective to transmit motion to move said guide bar.

30. In' a vending machine, the combination of a plurality of merchandise receptacles arranged in a vertical column; a door to close each receptacle; holding and releasing means for each door including a horizontally reciprocable slide bar having a pair of laterally projecting spaced apart pins; selective means including a guide bar extending transversely of said slide bars, a member slidable upon said guide bar, and provided with a cam block to pass between said pins upon movement of said member along said guide bar, a carrying member for said guide bar adapted to be moved to move said bar in a. direction longitudinally of said slide bars; means for holding each of said slide bars against longitudinal movement and releasing the same; a. horizontally reciprocable slide plate; a delivery shaft; means on said shaft motion by said mofor moving said slide plate; a stop member pivotally attached to said plate and operatively connected to said selective means to be swung thereby into the path of movement of said carrying member for said guide bar; and means operated by longitudinal movement of said slide plate for limiting rotative movement of said delivery shaft. 31. In a vending machine, the combination of a. plurality of merchandise receptacles arranged in a vertical column; a. door for each receptacle;

-means for holding each door closed and for releasing the same; and means for operating said holding and releasing means including selective means comprising aguide bar extending longitudinally'of said column, a member movable along said guide bar and adapted to be brought into operative relation with said holding and releasing means for each of said doors, and means for moving said member along said guide bar including a. member connected to said movable member; a manually rotatable shaft; and means for transmittingmotion from said shaft to said member connected to said movable member and including gears adapted to be brought into and out of mesh by a lateral movement of said shaft.

32. In a. vending machine, the combination of a plurality of merchandise receptacles arranged in a vertical column, a door for each receptacle, latching means for holding each door and releasing the same, a guide bar extending longitudinally of said column, means for supporting said bar and permitting lateral movement thereof to operate said latching means, a member slidable along said guide bar into and out of operative relation, with each of said latching means to se- 4 of said frame.

33. In a vendingmachine, the combination of a plurality of merchandise receptacles arranged in a vertical column, a door for each receptacle, latching means for holding each door and releasing the same, a guide bar extending longitudinally of said column, means for supporting said bar and permitting lateral movement thereof to operate said latching means, a member slidable along said guide bar into and out of operative relation with eachof said latching means to select the said latching means to be operated, an operating shaft, means for transmitting move-. ment from said shaft to move said member along said guide bar and including gears adapted to be moved into and out of mesh by a lateral movement of said operating shaft, and means for loci:- ing said operating shaft in the position to which it is moved with said gears in mesh, said means comprising a swinging member in which said operating shaft is journaled, a pawl carried by said swinging member, a fixed stud to be engaged by said pawl upon swinging movement of said member in one direction, and means for effecting a. disengagement of said pawl from said stud upon opposite swinging movement of said member.

.34. In a vending machine, the combination of a casing, a plurality of inclined merchandise chutes in said casing arranged in a plurality of 

